OneShots

You're Perfect

Ayanda was sitting on her bed reading a book that had her in a choke hold because of how good the writing and plot was, when her phone rang.

She sighed angrily because she had to pause her daily dose of escapism to see who dared to call her on a fine afternoon.

It was her father.

She quickly sat up straight and hurriedly fixed herself as if she was going to video call her boyfriend. Her heart was racing, she could clearly hear it pumping in her ears. She doesn't know why she was so nervous to talk to him.

Was it because she hadn't seen him for a while; three years to be exact, or was it because she has a general fear of talking to people?
Either way, it was stressful to go through, because she didn't know what to say to him.

Once she was satisfied with whatever she was doing, she answered the call with the biggest smile on her face. "Hello baba."

"Hello sugarpeas, how are you?" he said after chuckling, his voice warming her soul, like it did when she regularly went to visit him in her younger days.
She had almost forgotten what he sounded like because of how long it has been.

She doesn't even remember why they stopped talking to each other in the first place, because she was just glad that her father remembered that she exists.

"I'm good," her smile reaching her ears, to the point that if she smiled any further the corner of her mouth would rip.
She asked him how he was and how everyone on his side of the family was doing, and she let him know what was going on in her life. Like how she was doing in chess club, getting a distinction in English and Life Science, and her overall high school experience; as she kicked her feet at the edge of her bed.

His sounded a bit uninterested but she was too excited to notice it. "Anyway Baba, I will tell you more about it when I come visit you today. Speaking of, when will you come get me?"

"Yeah, sweetie... About that. Uhm..." he was lost for words. That wasn't a good sign. Ayanda knew what was coming, the disappointment. Another broken promise.
She should've anticipated it, but she had to be so hopeful to trust someone that doesn't even make an effort to see her.

They only started speaking a week ago, promising her the world in all it glory, but she hadn't learnt her lesson yet. She got excited for a man that doesn't deserve it. Was it a bad thing though? He is her father after all, shouldn't she be hopeful because her father is the one promising it to her?

"I can't make Sugarpeas, I have a nightshift and Obakeng isn't here to keep you company." Ayanda's heart fell to the ground and shattered into piece. It took her years to fix it, after she realized that she wasn't his favorite.
After she found out he does have a family, a daughter that he loves more than her.

How foolish of her to think that she could compare to his daughter that he had with the woman he loved more than her mom.
How foolish of her to think he had the capability to change. To actually come through for her.

It was true about old dogs, you can't teach them new tricks.

"Oh," her voice cracked, tears threatening to overflow, but she held it all in. She shouldn't regret it, or be sad at all. She was fine. "I understand, maybe next time."

"Yeah. Next time, I promise you can come visit. Okay?"

"Okay." she couldn't hold on to the tears any longer. She quickly wiped it away as if he would see it through the phone. Her world fell apart again...for the same reason it always does.